Poll: Irene put wind in Mayor Bloomberg's sails

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Wednesday that he was eliminating 2% raises for teachers planned for each of the next two years.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has Hurricane Irene—and his administration's handling of the storm—to thank for a recent surge of public support, according to a new poll released Monday by Quinnipiac University.

Some 54% of New Yorkers now approve of the way Mr. Bloomberg is handling his job, despite criticism for his covering up the arrest of a deputy mayor. That's up from a 45% approval rating in July and the highest mark the mayor's received since his perceived bungling of last year's blizzard.

“Bloomberg's job approval has moved up nicely,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “Maybe it was the decisive preparations for Irene.”

So it appears. New York City voters approved of Mr. Bloomberg's handling of Irene 86% to 10%. Even 84% of voters living in an evacuation zone believed the mayor made appropriate preparations, even if the storm's impact proved to be less than feared.

“When the public actually gets to see you manage city resources in a time of crisis, that's an important benchmark for voters,” said Basil Smikle Jr., a Harlem-based political consultant. “The mayor showed leadership, and that's ultimately why people feel confidence in their leaders.”

Quinnipiac University conducted the poll between Sept. 1 and Sept. 6, during which time the public learned that former Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith had been arrested for an alleged domestic dispute five days before he resigned. Mr. Bloomberg faced a barrage of criticism for not making the arrest public.

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